Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev backed current skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni after questions were raised on his abilities as a team leader.

The 1983 World Cup winning captain said that Dhoni's success has led people to expect a lot from him.

"How can we expect him to win every tournament for India? We have a captain who got India the No.1 rankings in Tests. He won us the 50-over World Cup and the World Twenty20. Because of all this, our expectations have risen from him and when once in a while he fails, people start pointing fingers at him," said Kapil on the sidelines of the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championships, where he had come as a chief guest.

Kapil also dismissed talks on the multiple captain theory for India.

"When we have a captain who can handle all three forms of the game then what is the problem? He is a big player that is why people point fingers at him or question him."

Talking on other issues, the 53-year-old said he is worried about the form of Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir who have had a lean patch in the last two years.

"If someone of the calibre of Sehwag and Gambhir don't score runs, it is worrying. I can't say it is not worrying," said Kapil.

"The players who make such big reputations, if they want to keep that reputation they have to get runs regularly otherwise it is a worry for everybody. It is a bigger worry for them than for anyone else."

Sehwag in the last two years has scored only one century and has averaged 37.26, which is way below than his career average of 50.64 in Tests. Gambhir, in the same period, has an average of 30.31, when his career average rakes way high at 44.35, and has gone without any centuries in the longest format of the game.

When asked about cricketing maestro Sachin Tendulkar's retirement, Kapil replied: "He recently gave such a nice interview to a TV news channel. You can get all the details in that. What is the point of me saying anything? A big player like him should be left alone. What must be noted is how much he has done for the country."